People appeal for peace near Gandhi Nagar Gruh in Vadodara on Thursday. The city limped back to normalcy, a day after the agitating Patidar community forced a bandh. (Source: Express Photo by Bhupendra Rana)

Six councillors of the BJP-led Padra Municipal Council, including the chairman of the executive committee, resigned on Thursday to join the Patidar stir.

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Joining a rally of the Patidar movement near a statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Padra, the members reached the office of president of the Municipal Council to hand over their resignation. The sudden resignation of six councillors, who were recently inducted into the BJP has taken the party by surprise.

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The Padra Municipality has a board of 19 Councillors. On Thursday, the chairman of the executive committee, Jagdish Lalabhai Patel along with other councillors, Umesh Shah, Kamla Patel, Jitu Patel, Suresh Patel and Dakshesh Patel resigned from their post and joined the Patidar movement.

Jitu Patel, Umesh Shah and Dakshesh Patel had originally won their seats from the Vikas Manch while Suresh Patel had won his seat on a Congress ticket.

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However, in 2012, these councillors had joined the BJP. The six councillors joined a rally organized by the Patidar community in Padra’s vegetable market.

The rally headed to the office of the president of the municipal council, where they handed over their resignation to president Pratima Patel. Kamlesh Patel, who was the chairman of the executive board of the municipal council said, “The Patidar community has taken to streets in the entire state of Gujarat to demand their right to reservation. We are supporting this agitation of the Patidars as we understand that it is a matter of the future generation and their education and employment.

“These youths of the Patel community deserve admissions into the best colleges and also government employment, which they are not currently able to secure. We are also urging like minded supporters from civic bodies in other parts of Vadodara to support this agitation.”